Will cutting the budget for the California Department of Parks and Recreation reduce the State’s deficit?

Last week the Department of Parks and Recreation published its proposed list of State Park closures. There are 70 historic and recreational properties on this list. You can view an interactive map at the California State Parks Foundation website.  While Marshall Gold is not on the list, other valuable sites are. On Saturday I was visiting at Marshall Gold and ran into fellow docent/volunteer, Mike Okey, and he filled me in on his experience at the recent Park Advocacy Day at the State Capital. He told me that since then he has been researching whether or not these closures will actually reduce the State deficit. Mike provided me the final copy of his editorial to post in an effort to spread the word, get people thinking, and start holding government accountable. I applaud Mike for taking action and hope others will be so inspired.

By Mike Okey . . .

"The following is the State’s official mission statement for Parks and Recreation, “The mission of the California Department of Parks and Recreation is to provide for the health, inspiration, and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state's extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural, cultural and historical resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation for current and future generations to enjoy. Specific activities include stewardship of natural resources, historic, cultural and archaeological sites, artifacts and structures, provision of interpretive services for park visitors, construction and maintenance of campsites, trails, visitor centers, museums, and infrastructure such as roads and water systems, and creation of recreational opportunities such as hiking, bicycling, fishing, swimming, horseback riding, jogging, camping, picnicking, and off-highway vehicle recreation.”

The proposed budget cuts for State Parks, are nothing less that a full scale assault against the people of California and the State Park System, by the Governor and Legislature. This failure to meet its mandated constitutional responsibility to the people is a failure of governance not current economic conditions. In the 1960’s State Parks were free (no user fees, as is typical of today) relatively well maintained, and well staffed. Our taxes have not gone down over the last fifty years but the quality of our State Parks has. Our historic and cultural park resources are hardest hit by this legislative neglect. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed California’s Historic Structures among the Nation’s most endangered, for years now.

Manifest Destiny and the Gold Rush defined the spirit of California and its people. Out of the Gold Rush came people like Leland Stanford, John Bidwell, Howard Hughes, the railroad, oil, ship building, movie, aircraft and space industries. More recently the spirit of California is defined by, HP (Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard), Xerox, Apple, Google, and Facebook. It is no accident that these people and industries are located in California. It is our heritage, and our culture that has created this environment, and made this State what it has become today. That spirit is now threatened by the Legislature’s desire to remove the learning opportunities provided by our State Historic Parks. An Environment California Research & Policy Center study prepared for the California Department of Parks and Recreation in 2002, “determined that $2.6 billion was generated by visitor spending in local communities during that year. These dollars were estimated to support over 100,000 jobs statewide.” Why would we want to give that up by closing and under funding State Parks?

The State’s historic and cultural resources have no value to our political leadership as demonstrated by their under funding of care and maintenance, for the last twenty years. Parks now has a backlog of 1.3 billion dollars in deferred maintenance. This is almost three times the total Department budget and fourteen times the current maintenance budget for the coming year. Unless action is taken now we will continue losing our States historic and cultural resources because of Legislative neglect. In fact many of these resources are already beyond repair and now require replacement or have just been lost forever. Replacement is a hundred times more costly than maintenance, so the abrogation of the States responsibility appears to be deliberate. The repair, restoration and maintenance of historic and cultural resources, is a job opportunity for hundreds if not thousands of unemployed Californians. What better way of getting the economy going that putting people back to work on something that benefits them directly?

If you look at the current budget you will find that the Legislature, with its 120 employees, is spending $2,133,883.00 per Legislator (not including retirement contributions of $8,017,000.00 or $66,808.00 per Legislator per year). Parks by contrast is spending $234,860.00 per employee. A large Department like Caltrans is spending $609,523.00 per employee. When viewed on a per employee basis the Parks Department is delivering more service per dollar to the people of California than any other Department in the State or the State Legislature. Caltrans and Parks provide in place benefits to small business and the public. The Legislature and the Governor are responsible for leadership, so what are we getting for that 2.1 million dollars per legislator?

The Governor and Legislature are passing up a significant opportunity to create jobs, business opportunities, and tourism for the people of California. This, in addition to abandoning its commitment to the people of California for open space, recreation, education, and the preservation of cultural and historical resources. The cost for all of this for less than a tenth of one percent (0.1%) of the State budget! Does it make sense to eat the goose that lays golden eggs for California? Frank Zappa once said that you do not understand legislation until you understand where the money is going. So what is the Legislature doing with the other 99.9% of our State Budget?

Cutting the budget for State Parks and or closing 70 state parks will not reduce the deficit it will only degrade the current economic environment. I believe in leadership by example, the permanent damage being inflicted upon State Parks by the Legislature is along way from leadership."